Photograph
by agrainne24
Summary: A glance at a photograph makes Jack think about a future with a certain someone… Point of View episode tag.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: It's been quite a while since I've posted anything within the J/S fandom so tonight I thought I'd my dip my toe back in! Please be gentle with me! Also, I rarely do this anymore but I recommend that you listen to this beautiful song as you read this; you won't regret it I promise.**

 **Summary: A glance at a photograph makes Jack think about a future with a certain someone…**

 **(You may need tissues depending on how you view this couple and their past and there is quite a bit of cheese in this too…so be prepared!)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own these characters or anything associated with this show, sadly.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Oh…a massive thank you to wackyjacqs for her constant words of support and friendship!**

 **Photograph**

 **Loving can hurt**

 **Loving can hurt sometimes**

 **But it's the only thing that I know**

 **When it gets hard**

 **You know it can get hard sometimes**

 **It is the only thing that makes us feel alive**

' **Photograph' by Ed Sheeran**

Jack was still reeling from the strange revelations of the past few hours. The other 'Sam' had been taken to the infirmary with this 'tropical' thingy that Fraiser and Carter were trying to figure out. Two Carters! His head might just explode with that information! He had been sent back to Samantha's room by the doc to gather a few of her things that would make her more comfortable when he came across a wedding photo of Samantha and her 'Jack'. He was now sitting on her bed contemplating the possibilities the image conjured up. He was grateful to Fraiser for giving him an out as he was feeling distinctly uncomfortable with the women in the room. Now, though, he was unsure what he was feeling as he gazed at the wedding photo in his hand. It brought up some painful memories and also some hopeful ones that he had no right to feel just yet.

If Jack was being truthful with himself the hurt, that had remained with him since Charlie's passing and consequently Sara's leaving still surfaced at night when he was completely alone. He didn't know if that hurt would ever ease but time had a funny way of letting that hurt fade a little each day. He loved them both with an ache that still hadn't faded with the passage of time. However, since the appearance of Sam Carter in his life almost three years previously Jack could feel hope slowly making its presence known in his heart once more. Not that she knew how he felt. There had been little looks and smiles over the past couple of months especially that made him wonder if she was affected by his presence as he was with her. This photograph in his hand was proof that they could work very well together. Very well indeed. Every once in a while Jack would find himself trying his hardest to make Carter laugh just so he could see her dazzling smile. The smile that had the power to lift his dark mood even for a moment. Those moments were precious to him. Looking at the photograph now made him realise he would do anything he could to win the happiness promised within the image. He hoped she would wait for his heart to heal.

Jack knew that loving someone so deeply could hurt. Loving someone could pierce your soul so much that its imprint stays with you forever. Jack also knew from experience that that hurt was the only thing making him feel alive at times. His memories were now captured forever in photographs that he kept close so he could look over them when times got hard. He often brought his favourite photograph of Charlie out after tough missions. He would remember the love he had for Charlie afresh and revel in it awhile because in that moment the memories they had made played out in front of his eyes once again. In those memories his heart was never broken and the time that they had had together was forever frozen.

Jack was now beginning to feel that loving someone could heal his broken heart, piece by shattered piece. A smile that lit up that someone's face could mend his broken soul too. He was forever being told that it would get easier, that time would heal all wounds and up until now he did not believe it. He hoped that one day the love he was beginning to feel for Samantha Carter would be the love that would keep him looking forward and not back. That the love that was evident in the photograph in his hands was there for him to take with both arms wide open, his heart no longer broken and that with every moment spent with her time stood still.

Now he just had to wait for his head to catch up with what his heart was whispering was possible. There was a love waiting for him that would heal him if he allowed himself to be happy. Happiness in life was a matter of chance. He had thought he had it with what he now called 'The Charlie Years' and was he now ready to grasp it again? He sincerely hoped so; everyone deserved a second chance at happiness, right? A little more time would tell. For now he was content to know that despite the hurt he was still feeling there was room left for more love in his life. He just had to wait and see if she felt the same way.

 **TBC…**


	2. Chapter 2

**We keep this love in a photograph**

 **We made these memories for ourselves**

 **Where our eyes are never closing**

 **Hearts are never broken**

 **Time's forever frozen still**

' **Photograph' by Ed Sheeran**

Saying goodbye to Samantha had been harder than Jack thought possible and seeing his Carter's face after he'd kissed Samantha had been harder still. Jack had been shocked to find how much it hit him in the solar plexus to see the look of deep hurt that flashed across Carter's face in the instant after he turned around to come back home. As he pressed his hand to the shimmering 'glass' of the mirror the look had gone from his Carter's face and she'd adopted her professional stance once more. It happened so fast that Jack was left questioning whether he'd seen the look at all. But now as he sat looking at the photograph in his hands for what seemed liked the hundredth time, Jack knew he'd seen that look. His feelings on this realisation were all over the place, one minute he was elated that Carter seemed to have feelings for him and the next he was terrified of what that might mean. Pursuing a relationship with Carter would mean a reshuffle of his life and hers of course, if she was willing. He would never expect her to give up her career for him, she was on a path to a flourishing career and he would not take that away from her for the world. The question was though would she be willing to take on a broken soldier who had so much baggage it could be clearly seen in his bearing every day?

"Am I disturbing you, sir?"

Jack looked up shocked that the object of his thoughts was standing in the doorway. He quickly slipped the photograph under a few sheets of paper hoping against hope she hadn't noticed he'd had something in his hand!

"Carter! I didn't hear you knock. What can I do for you?"

Even to Jack's ears that sounded forced and he winced as Carter raised a questioning eyebrow. Clearing his throat in an attempt to relieve some of the tension he was feeling Jack motioned for Carter to carry on with what was on her mind.

Now it seemed it was Carter's turn to be nervous as she started fidgeting as well as looking down at her hands. It was the last motion that melted Jack's heart and despite his smile he took pity on her and nudged her back to reality with a gently whispered "Carter?"

Sam started and looked up at the colonel with round eyes hoping he didn't know what she was just thinking about. As she had stood in the doorway she had caught her first glimpse of him looking down at something in his hand. Sam recounted the painful image of Jack kissing her alternate self and it left her wondering what it would've been like if she had been the one on the receiving end of that kiss! She had come to him with a different question in mind and now that she was here all she wanted to hear was how he was dealing with the events of the last couple of days. Sam knew from experience that this kind of thing freaked the colonel out and he must be so confused. She knew she was!

"Eh…sir, I was wondering…eh…how…you…that is…"

"What, Carter?"

The colonel had such a look of consternation on his face that Sam nearly lost her nerve. "Sir, you see the thing is…that is…I…eh…" Sam could feel herself getting redder with each passing moment but there was nothing she could do about it. "I…"

"Carter! Just spit it out, will you?"

"IwasjustwonderinghowyouweredoingsinceSamanthaleft?"

Carter had asked the question so fast Jack was unsure if he'd heard her right. It took him a moment longer than normal to answer, so much so Carter's face fell and she began apologising before he stopped her.

"Carter, relax. I wasn't sure how to answer that question. How are you doing with it all?"

"Have you got a few hours?"

Pleased that he'd deflected her question successfully he answered in the affirmative and laughed at her shocked expression.

His answer floored Sam. She had not expected that answer at all from the colonel. If anything she thought he'd make a quip and be done with it! Now what was she supposed to say?! That she was wondering ever since Samantha had turned up what it would be like to be with him? That ever since that kiss she had been insanely jealous of a woman who was, for all intents and purposes, herself. And it was this knowledge that confused her even more! How could you be jealous of another version of yourself?! Even thinking about it all confused Sam because she knew she shouldn't be having inappropriate feelings for her Commanding Officer. Especially because he was Jack O'Neill! Jack O'Neill, who when she first met him, made her catch her breath.

Jack slanted his head to the side and watched as Carter seemed to retreat into herself. There was a look on her face that he had become very familiar with over the years. It told him that she had a puzzle she needed to solve and she wouldn't come back to reality until that puzzle was solved to her satisfaction. The fact that he seemed to be the puzzle made him smile. He was curious as to what her eventual conclusion would be, if indeed she came to one. After about five minutes in this attitude, Jack felt it was time to give Carter a helping hand, as it were, so he shook her shoulder lightly so as not to startle her. He failed in that regard. She jumped like a deer caught in headlights.

"Sorry Carter I didn't mean to frighten you."

"It's ok, sir. I was away in my own world for a moment."

"I noticed."

Sam smiled at him and that in turn made Jack smile. He never got tired of looking at Samantha Carter. She brought him the kind of peace he had not known in quite a number of years. A peace he hoped to make a permanent fixture in his life one day. He also hoped for a love where his heart was never broken and that the memories they made would make time stand still. He longed for a life where he had not a care in the world. A life with someone who could complete him in ways he had not thought were possible until he met a sassy young captain who had guts enough to challenge him to an arm wrestle at their first meeting. He knew even then that she was more than a match for him!

"So, Carter; penny for your thoughts?"

"What, sir?"

"What were you just thinking about with that big brain of yours? It must have been something cool for you to lose it for a few moments, Carter."

At his words, Sam blushed scarlet and mumbled an answer which sounded like she thought her thoughts weren't all that interesting to him. Jack couldn't help but think that whatever just made his captain blush was well worth finding out!

 **TBC…**


End file.
